Guardiola respectful of Beckenbauer criticism

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has refused to bite back at criticism from club legend Franz Beckenbauer.

The fact that Bayern have been criticised seems outstanding on the surface, with the European champions 23 points clear of the second-placed Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Their UEFA Champions League defence is on track, with Bayern having qualified for the quarter-finals, while they meet second-tier Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final.

But Beckenbauer expressed his disappointment with Bayern in the wake of their 1-1 home draw against Arsenal in the Champions League's last 16, claiming that the club would become "unwatchable like Barcelona" - Guardiola's former side.

When asked to respond, the Spaniard bit his tongue though, quoted as saying in Marca: "Franz isn't a legend. He is this club's legend.

"I have enormous respect for his opinion.

"I give the very best I can – I did at Barcelona and I do here. I always accept these opinions."

Bayern can win their second successive Bundesliga title this week, if they win at Mainz on Saturday and Borussia Dortmund and Schalke both fail to win.